Connections

Day 7: Barcelos to Casa Fernanda, Portugal

My friend John had asked me to guess who I would meet on the road.  He suggested all of the people I would meet there would be two people from Puget Sound and maybe another person I had known at one time. Three days ago I met a Seattle couple and I thought I was done with the “small world” meetings.   What I didn’t expect was to meet someone’s daughter that I had worked with and then more unexpectedly  was to connect with someone I had danced with in Carnival back in Bolivia 23 years ago.

It all began with us regretfully having to leave Barcelos.  We both agreed that one day more would have been lovely, but that will have to wait for another Camino. As we pass the main square, Siri notices that there is an umbrella vendor out early and she buys a folding polka dotted umbrella.  I choose one as well.  It comes in incredibly handy as the sky opens up through the day and we would have been soaked – if not for this small, seemingly insignificant umbrella.  “The Camino will provide” I am thinking ..

At the end of the day at a wonderful communal meal at Casa Fernanda, halfway through the meal, I realize that one of the pilgrims is the daughter of a state representative that both Siri and I have worked with in our former professional roles.  We are all a bit stunned and take photos and send them to her dad. 

That just ended the day on an even higher note since earlier that same day we just had a similar experience.  We had come to a typical crossroad with a group and in reply to the common greeting we learn this group is from Bolivia.  We stop and ask some more questions since this is where we had lived for two years.  He asks “Where did you work?” With Siri’s answer, he lists the names of a few people and finally asks “Did you know Maria Lorencikova?” Siri stops and says, “Yes, that was my boss.”  We find out he worked in USAID public health and Siri and him know many of the same people.  Coco is a tall gregarious man who still lives in the capital La Paz.  He has worked and traveled the world.  He has been on the Camino already for two weeks starting in Lisbon and is walking with two of his daughters who now live in Germany.

We talk about how much we loved living there and that I danced in Carnival.  “Oh, really, so did I,” Coco says.  Then I say well it was Caporales. “That is what I danced.” He asks which group and we find out we were in the same dance group.  “What color was your costume?” His daughter Sabina asks (each year they change), and I answer black with gold trim.  I go to my phone and find a picture of me in my costume.  Coco looks at it and stops walking.  He brings up his phone and finds the same picture!

We had trained and danced in several festivals and celebrated Carnival together back in 2001 in La Paz, Bolivia.

As I write this, I am still stunned that of all the places and of all the people, that it is Coco that I meet. I do remember him, and he is the same welcoming person from so many years ago. 

We continue walking together for the next hour telling stories and reminiscing about Bolivia and swap stories of our families. 

As we leave he brings up the final connection.  “You know David, this Camino is similar to dancing in Carnival.  I figure I have danced and walked enough times for all my sins to be forgiven several times over.”

He smiles a bit, since he recognizes that whereas many people dance in Carnival and walk the Camino to secure a blessing of God, he also knows each of us may have a different reason as well.  Dancing was also a place for fellowship and something he could do with his daughters. We all have our own reason for walking – or dancing

I tell him how I remember how I felt as I finished dancing for six hours in Carnival and we danced up that steep hill and into the sacred Cathedral of Ouru, Bolivia.  Tired and spent we entered the church and many completed the final steps on their knees proceeding down the aisle and up to the altar, where a priest would receive you, thank you for taking this journey and grant you your blessing.  I tell him how powerful that felt, that I have chills just remembering that time.

Coco, who has already completed this Camino before (Camino Frances) listens to me and says, “David, that is how you will feel when you finish your Camino and enter the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.”